Carbide clad harrow tine

Abstract

An agricultural harrow includes a harrow tine configured to be advanced through the soil in a forward direction. The harrow tine broadly includes an elongated tine element and a laser deposited metallic wear material. The tine element presents a lower end configured to penetrate the soil as the tine is advanced. The tine element also presents an exterior element surface. The wear material is on the exterior element surface adjacent the lower end of the tine element.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An agricultural harrow tine configured to be advanced through the soil in a forward direction, said harrow tine comprising:
 an elongated tine element presenting a lower end, with the lower end being configured to penetrate the soil as the tine is advanced, 
 said tine element presenting an exterior element surface; and 
 a laser deposited metallic wear material on the exterior element surface adjacent the lower end of the tine element, 
 said exterior element surface presenting opposite leading and trailing faces relative to the forward direction along which the harrow tine is advanced, 
 said metallic wear material being located on the leading face, 
 said metallic wear material comprising a longitudinal bead extending lengthwise along the leading face of the exterior element surface, 
 said metallic wear material including a plurality of side-by-side beads cooperatively covering an arcuate portion of the leading face of the exterior element surface, 
 said arcuate portion extending along an angle of at least ninety degrees, 
 said metallic wear material including multiple layers of beads, with each progressively outer layer being spaced from the lower end further from an adjacent radially inward one of the layers. 
 
     
     
       2. The agricultural harrow tine as claimed in  claim 1 ,
 said exterior element surface being cylindrical, with the leading and trailing faces each extending along half of the circumference of the exterior element surface. 
 
     
     
       3. The agricultural harrow tine as claimed in  claim 1 ,
 said progressively outer layer having fewer beads than said adjacent radially inward one of the layers. 
 
     
     
       4. The agricultural harrow tine as claimed in  claim 3 ,
 said beads of a radially innermost one of said layers extending to the lower end of the tine element. 
 
     
     
       5. The agricultural harrow tine as claimed in  claim 1 ,
 said metallic wear material extending to the lower end of the tine element. 
 
     
     
       6. The agricultural harrow tine as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a spring coil, 
 said tine element being coupled to the spring coil, such that the lower end of the tine element is configured to yieldably penetrate the soil. 
 
     
     
       7. A method of reinforcing an agricultural harrow tine, wherein the harrow tine includes an elongated tine element presenting a lower end configured to penetrate the soil as the tine is advanced in a forward direction, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a layer of metallic wear material on an exterior surface of the tine element adjacent the lower end thereof, 
 step (a) including the step of laser deposition welding the metallic wear material on the exterior surface of the tine element, 
 step (a) including the step of positioning the metallic wear material on a leading face of the exterior element surface relative to a forward direction along which the harrow tine is advanced, 
 step (a) including the step of forming a plurality of longitudinal beads in a side-by-side relationship so as to cooperatively cover a portion of the leading face of the exterior element surface, 
 step (a) including the step of forming multiple layers of beads. 
 
     
     
       8. The method as claimed in  claim 7 ,
 said laser deposition welding step including the steps of forming a heated melt pool along the exterior surface of the tine element and directing a wear material powder adjacent the melt pool to form the metallic wear material. 
 
     
     
       9. The method as claimed in  claim 7 ,
 step (a) including the step of forming a longitudinal bead that extends lengthwise along the leading face of the exterior element surface. 
 
     
     
       10. The method as claimed in  claim 7 ,
 said step of forming multiple layers of beads including the step of spacing each progressively outer layer further from the lower end than an adjacent radially inward one of the layers. 
 
     
     
       11. The method as claimed in  claim 10 ,
 said step of forming multiple layers of beads including the step of providing fewer beads in each progressively outer layer than the adjacent radially inward one of the layers. 
 
     
     
       12. The method as claimed in  claim 11 ,
 said step of forming multiple layers of beads including the step of extending a radially innermost one of said layers to the lower end of the exterior element surface. 
 
     
     
       13. A method of reinforcing an agricultural harrow tine, wherein the harrow tine includes an elongated tine element presenting a lower end configured to penetrate the soil as the tine is advanced in a forward direction, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a layer of metallic wear material on an exterior surface of the tine element adjacent the lower end thereof, 
 step (a) including the step of laser deposition welding the metallic wear material on the exterior surface of the tine element, 
 step (a) including the step of positioning the metallic wear material on a leading face of the exterior element surface relative to a forward direction along which the harrow tine is advanced, 
 step (a) including the step of forming a plurality of longitudinal beads in a side-by-side relationship so as to cooperatively cover a portion of the leading face of the exterior element surface, 
 said exterior element surface being cylindrical, with the leading and trailing faces each extending along half of the circumference of the exterior element surface, 
 said step of forming a plurality of longitudinal beads including the step of covering at least a ninety degree arcuate portion of the leading face.